Relinquish
by firedancer34
Summary: Set right after Pan's Curse. Instead of leaving, Emma turns back and breaks the Curse with Regina. This is my angsty version of of my 'Innocence' story. Character death and mild SQ femslash tones.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a bit of a flipped version to my other Once story: Return to Innocence. Angst ahead. One-shot for now. Character death. Mild femslash SQ implication. This was written rather quickly and not beta'd. Characters are not mine and I make no money off this...just a chance to work through some demons.

It was cold and drizzling the day that Regina Mills and Emma Swan were laid to rest in Regina's family mausoleum. Henry had insisted they remain together, and after what they had all borne witness to, no one had argued or protested even the slightest bit. After all, it had been their True Love's Kiss that had weakened Pan's Curse in the first place and their combined magical effort that had broken it.

At the cost of their own lives.

Whale and his team had worked for hours on the two women, but Blue had finally laid a hand on his exhausted shoulder and told him it was time to let them go. They had given all that they were to save their people and their loved ones- without fear or hesitation. She had not been able to detect any magic or life-force in them since they had collapsed, embracing one another even into death. In the end, even the Evil Queen had died a hero. Not even a kiss from their son had been able to bring them back. There were just some things that one could not be brought back from.

People took turns speaking. Some sharing memories, others a funny story, and more than a few giving the Queen post-mortum forgiveness and gratitude in sincere and regretful tones. Through it all, those closest to the two women sat staring numbly at ahead, wondering if the ache in their hearts would ever go away. Henry finally broke down towards the end, halfway through Hopper's emotional tribute to both women, and he fled to grieve in peace.

Snow and David moved to follow but Neal shook his head and quietly went after his son. He found him not far away, curled up at the base of a tree, sobbing his young broken heart out and Neal crouched behind him and drew him close.

"WHY?!" Henry shouted angrily. "Why did they leave me? Why didn't Emma just do what mom said and leave? We wouldn't have remembered and you guys would have been back in the forest, but at least they would still be alive! Now they're both dead!"

Neal swallowed around his own tears and pressed a kiss to the top of his son's head and let him vent. "I know son….I know."

"Why didn't you stop them?!"

Neal didn't answer that, because he couldn't and so he just held the boy as he raged against the world. Nearly an hour passed before he noticed movement a little ways off. He looked up to meet the devastated looks of Emma's parents and nodded that he was okay and he would handle Henry. They nodded back in understanding and then they left them in peace.

When the boy finally cried himself into an exhausted sleep, Neal carried his son home and tucked him in before slumping into a chair in the living room a bottle of Jack in his hands. He hadn't gotten very far when a hesitant knock sounded at his door and he went to answer it with a sigh of frustration. Of all the people on the other side of the door, he hadn't expected Hook. But then he probably shouldn't have been that surprised.

"Mind if I come in lad?"

Neal let him in and went back to his seat, reclaiming the bottle before passing it off to Hook who gladly accepted it and took a healthy swig. "How's the boy?" he asked after a bit.

"Working his way through the anger," Neal answered honestly.

Hook nodded and took another hit before passing the bottle back and settling back in his chair. "Platitudes seem to sound so pointless in these situations, but I know you cared for Emma, and I know Henry loved both of them. And I have to say…I never thought I would see the day the crocodile would lose his teeth. He died a noble death in the end as surely as they did. I'm sorry that your family is going through this Bae."

"Thanks. And….I'm sorry for you too. I know you cared about Emma. A lot."

"Aye. We connected on that bloody island, but even before you showed up, she was always holding herself back. I thought she was just afraid of being hurt again. Must say….never saw that one coming," he finished with a sad, rueful smirk.

Neal snorted. "I don't think any of us did," he said with a far off look as he replayed that day in his mind.

_Emma and Regina had spent a lot longer saying goodbye than anyone could have imagined. The look of sudden devastation in her eyes was even more than when she'd said goodbye to Killian and her parents. When Emma and Henry had been pulling away slowly, he'd seen her eyes looking in the mirror the whole time. The Curse had been bearing down on them and Regina was in the process of changing it when the car stopped just over the town line. There was a pause and he could see Emma and Henry arguing about something. _

"_Don't do it Emma. Just go and be happy," he murmured under his breath._

_But to his and everyone else's dismay, she threw the car in reverse, stopped only a few feet away ,and was out the door pushing past everyone and paying them no attention as she stalked towards a horrified looking Regina who was BEGGING her to take Henry and leave. Not even Killian had been able to sidetrack her. _

_When the blonde had reached Regina she'd placed her hands on either side of the brunette's face in a tender grip and everyone saw the tell-tale glow of her magic start to seep into the former Queen and bolster her own as it held the Curse at bay and kept it from completing. No one had been close enough to hear the quiet words that had been exchanged, but Neal could see the look in both of their eyes. Hope, trust, and shockingly- love. _

_When they kissed, everyone had been knocked to the ground by the force of the wave that rolled off them. The intense emotion from that kiss stole everyone's breath away and brought a tear to many an eye at the pure beauty of it. No one could deny that it was true love or the joy of discovery that they had just experienced first-hand. The Curse had been set back on its heel by the kisss, but it hadn't been enough. After the couple had broken apart from their first kiss, they studied their surroundings, planned a course of action, shared one final passionate embrace and then bent their will to the task. _

_Emma being the lesser skilled of the two but possibly the strongest natural talent, had been the anchor. She had fueled every last bit of her magic and then life-force into the spell that Regina wielded and then bent to her iron will. It had been mesmerizing and horrifying, as no one was meant to withstand the energy of that much magic and live. It had obviously been an excruciating last few moments for both women- their screams would haunt everyone for the rest of their lives- and yet their stubborn determination saw them through to the end. _

"Do you believe in the afterlife?" Neal asked out of the blue.

Hook was silent for awhile as he contemplated that and they continued to share the bottle. "I honestly can't say lad," he said finally. "But knowing those two? They'd find it one way or another. That was some unfinished business there between them and I dare say they are both too stubborn to let something like that lie," he said with a hint of his normal smirk.

Neal actually managed to bark out a short laugh at that. "Damned if you aren't right about that."

But the moment of humor passed quickly and both men spent the rest of the evening silently lamenting on lost love and the beauty of the sacrifice they'd been witness to. Unbeknownst to them, Henry had awoken and slipped out his window to pay his mothers one last visit.

The teen made his way to the mausoleum and pushed open the doors that led inside and walked into the newly built sepulchre where his mothers rested. He shifted forward after a minute of hesitation, and settled his backpack on the ground at the base of where they were laid out, a magical shield placed over them by Blue to preserve them. They were laid out in beautiful gowns, Regina's a pale lavender and Emma in white- representations of the colors of the Light magic both women had wielded at the end. Placed side by side, with their closest hands clasped, they finally looked truly at peace.

Henry trailed his fingers over the shield, noting that it reacted to his touch. He pulled his hand back and shoved it into the pocket of his jacket and looked around the room. "I'm sorry I got so mad at you both earlier," he told them quietly. "I just- it just hurts you know. But I understand why you went back Ma. You knew you could save them…and I did too. Heart of the truest believer right? I just didn't think that it would kill you. I still can't believe you're both gone," he choked out as tears rolled down his face.

Her scrubbed at them and forced himself to take a deep breath. "Grumpy and the guys did a great job in here." He smiled faintly as his gaze went distant. "I can just hear you right now mom. 'Not bad for a bunch of midgets with pick-axes'," he said in a dead imitation of the mayor's mocking tone.

Silence greeted his gallows humor however and his smile faded as he looked down at his moms. "I'm going to miss you both so much. I wish we'd been given the chance to be a real family," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Life was so unfair to both of you, and just when you found each other…..it wasn't supposed to end like this. I mean, the Savior and the former Evil Queen falling in love and finding their Happily Ever After in each other? What could be more epic than that?"

He broke off as his breathing became harsher as he struggled to contain his grief. "Mom, Ma, I just want you to know that I am so proud of you both. I learned so much…from both of you and I will never forget you. For as long as I live I will always love you and I will always believe that somehow you will have found your happy ending in each other. I promise to always make you both proud."

He walked back over to his backpack and pulled out his book. The book that had started this all.

"I want you both to have this now. Something to remind you of all the trials you overcame, and of all the people you left behind that you loved and cared about you. The whole town was here today and all of them had good things to say about you both…even you mom. I don't need it now because I have my own story to write. Take good care of it for me," he whispered as he set it on the shield.

Seeing the fairy magic react to it he cocked his head and pushed. With a smile, he watched as the book sank through the barrier and settled across the upper arms of their joined hands. He pulled his hands back and kissed his fingers before pushing them through and placing two fingers of each hand in their cheeks.

"Goodbye mom….ma. I love you both. Be happy…wherever you are." His tears splashed onto the shield and he pulled his hands back and wiped at his face one last time before he picked up his empty backpack and left.

Back inside the sepulchre, the tears slowly made their way through the shield. A drop landed on each of their pale, waxen faces and after a moment slid down their cheeks- a faint trickle of crimson light ghosting behind the wet path only to quickly disappear.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok I had a pretty decent response to this story and after thinking things through I had a sudden stroke of massive inspiration for this. I have been in a major writing slump as of late and so this story has now excited me. I still don't have everything mapped out in my head, but I know where I want to go in general and I actually have some major key scenes started. This will probably be pretty lengthy as it is going to get pretty complex. Thank you for all the comments and PM's and Follows and such. You guys are awesome. I know this chapter is short, but hopefully I will get another larger one out before I have to go back to school. Happy Holidays! (P.S Gold Star if you can remember what Disney film the blacksmith is from...without looking it up!)**

**==^^SQSQSQSQ^^==**

**One week after the funeral…**

"Henry….are you sure this is what you want to do?" David asked gently as he crouched in front of the boy.

Despite his tears, he managed a shaky smile a firm nod. "You and Mary-Margaret are my family too, but I just need…..I need to get away for awhile. Dad's really hurting right now even if he is trying to not show it. And I think I should be there for Belle too."

"We just want you to be safe Henry," Snow said running her hands through his hair.

"Hook won't let anything happen to us. He cares about my dad and he cares about me too. He knows both my mom's would come back from the de-," his voice broke a few tears spilled as he swallowed around the word. "Yeah…he knows they would haunt him if he ever let anything happen to me," he finally managed.

David nodded and then turned to gesture to Otto who stepped forward with a wrapped bundle in his hands. "Then I have something for you before you leave," he told Henry as he accepted the bundle. "Otto here was one of our greatest blacksmiths back home. I had commissioned him to make this for you to give you on your next birthday, but I think that you should have this now."

He held out the bundle and Henry pushed the cloth back and gasped. Just then Hook, Neal and Belle walked up and their eyes went wide at beauty of the sword that was being presented to Henry. "Well lad, that is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship if I ever saw one. My complements, master," Hook said with a nod towards Otto who smiled and nodded.

Henry picked up the blade, stunned at just how light it was. "Wow," he breathed. "It's so light!"

"A wonderful thing about this new world is the incredible wealth of information on the advancements in sword-making. That is a carbon steel blade Prince Henry, that will hold its edge for a long time to come. I used a folded metal process that allows for it to remain light and it retains a certain amount of flexibility without losing its strength. The guard, grip and pommel are a titanium alloy. Overall the sword will hold up in a more humid environment and will not rust with proper care- even with all the salt-water."

"Look here," David said as he pointed the pommel. "This is our family crest," he said before reaching out to flip it to the other side. "And this is Regina's."

Henry looked up, tears trickling down his cheeks as a huge grin split his face. "It's awesome grandpa. Thank you," he said as he reached out to hug his grandfather.

"I've seen Hook handle a sword and I think you will be in good hands for your lessons. I expect you to be able to give me a run for my money when you get back young man," Snow said as she smiled down at Henry and ruffled his hair before accepting the tight hug he gave her.

"Aye lad, Belle here is interested in some lessons as well and your dad could use a little brushing up so I think we will be getting lots of good practice over the coming weeks. Well everyone, we are almost ready to shove off."

"You have the root?" Snow checked.

"Killian gave me a cabin with a porthole. I've got it in a planter box sitting right beneath it and I will be able to tend to it easily. But we should be good with the beans that you had left from the last harvest," Belle told them.

"And I have them under lock and key in my cabin," Hook assured them.

"And you really think Rumpelstiltskin is alive?" Snow asked.

Belle and Neal looked at each other and then Neal shrugged. "We really aren't sure to be honest. As we went through his shop, there was some weird stuff that kept happening. We don't know if it's just the items there acting up….but," he trailed off looking at Belle again.

"We decided to use the globe again. From what I understand, if Neal were to prick his finger on the spindle, the globe should remain blank if Rumple is dead. He tried it, and the blood swirled around the globe….like it was searching."

"We think he's out there, just not in this realm."

"Well we wish you all the best of luck. We look forward to your return," Charming told them as he shook hands with Hook and Neal while Snow and Belle exchanged a final hug. With a squeeze of his grandson's shoulder he stepped back and let the group board the ship and then slipped an arm around his wife's waist.

They watched as Hook started giving orders as he took the wheel, and smiled a bit as Belle rolled up her sleeves and insisted on Neal showing her what needed to be done. "She's finally getting to see all that she's ever read about," Snow said with a somewhat sad smile. David hummed in agreement. "Are we doing the right thing letting Neal take Henry?"

"He's the boy's father and…as much as I think they would have been furious at us for letting him go, I think Henry's mothers would have understood his need to do this. There's too many reminders her of them and he needs time and space to heal from everything that has happened to him in the last few months. I think if he had stayed here, he would have become withdrawn. They would want him to go on with life and be happy. And I think this will be the best for him in the long run."

Snow sighed and nodded. "You're right."

The ship was now catching the winds and moving away from the dock at speed and they watched as Hook tossed Henry the bean and let the boy have the honors of throwing the magic bean as far out as he could. "He's getting stronger," Snow noted with some pride as she watched the portal open up a good distance from the ship.

"Did you notice how much he had grown while we were in Neverland? I can't wait to see what he looks like when they return."

"Well at least we know that Belle will keep him up to speed with his studies."

Their breaths held a bit as they watched the ship get sucked into the swirling portal and then the water was calm again. The rest of the townspeople that had gathered to see them off began to disperse, but they remained on the dock for a long time afterwards, watching as the sun slowly began its decent lost in their own thoughts.

As the sun dipped below the horizon with a final flash of light, David leaned down to kiss Snow's temple, noting the silent silver track marks from her eyes. His arm wrapped around her shoulder, gently squeezing her to him. "I miss her too."

"We had just found her….and then she was gone again," Snow choked out.

He wrapped her completely in his embrace and bent his head to press his cheek into her hair as his own tears mixed with hers. "At least she got to know that her parents loved her very much and that we were so proud of the amazing woman she had become," he said softly.

As the night settled over the quiet town, the two parents finally grieved freely for the daughter that was now forever lost to them.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** **Hello everyone, thank you for the encouraging comments and follows. This story is obviously seriously deviating from canon after the whole Pan's Curse debacle. I am about to have fun in jumping into some of my fave fictional realms. Some will be more obvious than others and I will be bringing in both established characters and a few of my own creations. As I introduce a new realm I will credit the original creator/author in just the first chapter of the new characters appearance. I am also about to start building several new 'ships/pairings. Nothing overt for awhile, but you will be seeing the foundations being laid for some of them in the coming chapters. There will be variety of types of pairings too and not just my usual f/f so fair warning to everyone. For those of you who have asked...yes I labeled this a SwanQueen pairing and I'm going to stick with that. Take it how you like...but I don't want to give anything away just yet ;)**

**The realm mentioned in this story is from the Dark Horse series by Mary H Herbert. The series is out of print now, but you can still pick up the books on Amazon. If you are looking for a great fantasy/adventure read with a strong female as the lead heroine I totally recommend this series. Check them out! My poor copies are tattered and worn from all the re-reads. (Dark Horse, Lightening's Daughter, City of Sorcerers, & Winged Magic)**

**Feel free to review and let me know what you think! And if you have ideas or suggestions feel free to post it or drop me a line via PM.**

**_SQSQSQSQSQSSQ_**

Hook emerged from below decks and glanced, nodding to his first mate who called out the traditional 'Captain on deck!' that caused his crew to scurry with a little more purpose for the next couple of minutes. He made his way over to the wheel to relieve his night helmsmen and receive his report. "What's the word Mr. Hawkins?"

"Calm seas and fair weather all night Capt'n. We are straight on course and the wind has been in our favor. I estimate we picked up a couple of hours last night and if this keeps up we could reach our destination by sunup tomorrow."

"Excellent news Mr. Hawkins."

Their conversation was interrupted by the violent clashing of swords on the forward deck and Hook's eyebrow lifted. "Well they are certainly at it early," he remarked as he watched Belle and Henry be put through their paces by the ship's newest arrival.

Hawkins smirked a bit as he watched the skilled instructor easily fend off the two students. "She had them out here at dawn doing some kind of warm-up exercises. On the rails no less." At his Captain's sudden glare in his direction he held up his hands. "I made her tie a loose guideline to them just in case. She of course protested but I insisted."

Hook nodded. "Good. I have no wish to have either of the lad's mothers, or Rumpelstiltskin for that matter, haunt me if anything happened to either of them on my ship."

Hawkins merely nodded in full agreement, mentally adding that he had no wish to incur his Captain's wrath as well. They watched the trio for a little while and Hawkins grinned a bit as he realized that even though the teacher had yet to break a sweat, the other two had yet to be disarmed despite several advanced presses. "They are improving considerably under Mulan's tutelage."

"Aye. They picked up the basics quickly, but Mulan's style is a better fit for both of them. I believe Belle would take well to a rapier actually. But the lad has got the speed and reflexes that do well with Mulan's technique."

Hawkins hummed in agreement and then turned to his Captain and saluted. "With your leave then Captain?"

Hook nodded to him and released the young man to his bunk for some well deserved rest. He checked his compass and course headings and slowly took in their surroundings. It was a bright, warm day out with only a few scattered clouds that dotted the sky. There was no land in sight yet, but he knew by nightfall they would be in visual range of the next land they were journeying to. He had to admit, this was one of the greatest adventures he had been on so far. They had been to half a dozen realms already, a few of which he'd never visited before, and others that had changed drastically over the years due to various reasons. This was one of the realms he had not visited in quite awhile and because time moved quicker here he doubted much would be the same. He just hoped that their mission here would be quick.

It had taken them nearly a month to learn that they weren't just searching for Rumpelstiltskin- and that they were apparently up against some kind of deadline. Unfortunately no one knew just how long they had to accomplish what needed to be done, especially with all the realm hopping they were doing.

_Their first stop had been to the Enchanted Forest where they had docked the ship and Hook had left the ship in Smee and Hawkins hands with orders to keep the crew close and keep an eye on his beloved ship. They would keep in contact through carrier pigeons but hoped to find whatever it was they were looking for within a week. Unfortunately, they had wandered the realm for almost two weeks and Neal and Belle had started to lose hope in figuring out why the globe had led them to the Enchanted Forest. They had come across Robin Hood and his Merry men- Mulan now amongst their number- and had accepted their offer of a place to rest for a couple of days while they decided their next move. _

_Henry had yet to fully smile since the deaths of his mothers, but there was a hint of his old gleam of excitement as he took in everything the Enchanted Forest had to offer. It was heavily touched with sadness, but he was slowly coming back out of his shell of grief as the days wore on. Mulan had been a major help with that once she learned of Emma's demise, and made it a point to join the teen at dinner and tell him about her travels with his mother and grandmother the year before. _

_The conversation wasn't always fluid, but she drew him out and by nightfall he was engrossed in comparing her real story to what he'd grown up hearing tales of. He hadn't been as vocal as he might have once been, but he asked thoughtful, candid questions and even Hook could tell that the lad was clearly turning everything over carefully in his mind._

_By bedtime, he had secured a promise that she would teach him a few moves in the morning and Belle had asked if she too could join in on the lessons as she was hoping to enjoy the company of another woman for once. Mulan understood her request all too well and happily offered her services to both. When the group was preparing to head out two days later, Mulan approached Robin Hood quietly, her own light travel gear prepared. _

_He took one look at her and smiled knowingly. "I wish I had gotten the chance to know the lad's mother as you spoke highly of her courage. I think she would be honored to have you watch over her son and Belle looks like she needs your company right now more than I do."_

_She smiled at him in gratitude for his understanding. "Thank you for everything Robin."_

"_The Merry Men and I will hate to lose you, but I always knew your stay with us would be temporary. If you should ever need of our services, you only need to ask or send word."_

_She bowed to him as was her tradition and he returned the gesture before dragging her into a quick- and somewhat awkward- hug before letting her go just as quickly. The small party left camp and started to make their way back towards the sea with Mulan now a part of their journey. Every night after they made camp, she would work with Henry and Belle on their footwork and other basics. Hook would sometimes help in giving demonstrations from his own style of swordsmanship which differed completely from Mulan's to allow them the chance to expand upon their knowledge. _

_A few days before they arrived back at the port, they were passing through a small village when an old woman stepped in front of their path, her piercing gaze stopping all of them cold in their tracks. Her lips pulled back in a sneer and everyone's hands began to drift towards their swords. _

_Then her pale eyes rolled back into her head and she raised her walking stick as her ancient body swayed gently. "You seek the Dark One," she declared to their surprise and those nearby stared at them and gasped. Children were suddenly hustled away by wary parents and the tension grew thicker._

"_Your journey is yet long and you have much to collect along the way. You must not delay for there is something wicked that has stained this land and will threaten the ones you left behind if you do not succeed. It will take the forces of Darkness and Light to put an end to this evil."_

_Belle boldly stepped forward and knelt respectfully before the old crone. "Then the Dark One lives?" she asked, her voice shaking with hope._

"_He is neither dead nor alive. But your journey will bring you to that which will make him whole once more."_

"_What of this threat?"_

_Her staff came down firmly on the ground, just missing Belle who flinched slightly as everyone's hands went to the hilts of their swords. She merely ignored them. "You have found what you need here, now make haste to your next destination!"_

"_Are we in danger?"_

"_We are all in danger," she cackled. Then as quickly as she blocked their path she had hobbled away muttering to herself. _

_The travelers had looked at each other warily. Mulan slid her partially drawn sword back into its sheath, frowning. "We have heard whispers of an evil that is supposedly spreading through the Evil Queen's former lands . Even though people have been steadily migrating here from far-away lands, few have expressed any desire to travel to her territories- especially since it is rumored that several dark mages have taken up residence there."_

"_Should we check it out?" Henry asked curiously._

"_Absolutely not," Neal answered firmly. "If there are dark mages there, we have no means of defending ourselves. Besides, if the old woman is right, whatever is going on there is big enough to threaten more than just this realm."_

"_But shouldn't we do something to try and help these people?" Henry persisted._

"_The best thing we can do lad, is heed the old woman's advice and accomplish what we set out to do. She seemed pretty clear that it was vital that we find the Dark One," Hook answered. _

"_But-," _

"_Henry," Belle said gently as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "They are right. We are small in number, and none of us have the means to protect ourselves from magic wielders. Mulan says that the people here are already aware of the potential danger and are steering clear. They all managed to save themselves from the first Curse, so I think they'll be able to take care of themselves ok this time around too."_

"_We should get back to the ship as quickly as possible. If mages are involved, there's no telling what they are up to and how many eyes and ears they have out here. I will feel much better when we are on our way to another realm."_

_The rest agreed and so they had pushed hard for two more days to reach the port. A message carried ahead by pigeon had warned the crew to be prepared for sail as soon as they arrived. Smee and Hawkins had the Roger ready to cast off as soon as their Captain's boots hit the deck. It had been with a sigh of relief that they had left whatever danger was lurking in the Enchanted Forest behind and continued on with their journey._

And it had been an interesting journey at that. The first two items that they had been directed to had at least made rather obvious sense. They were aides to locating whatever magical objects would be required to bring the Dark One back. Belle had yet to figure out the last two items however and it was likely that they would have to return home at some point so she could research their uses.

In the meantime, they had all had a plenty of adventure including a scuffle or two and one frantic trip back to the ship in which everyone decided that they wouldn't be telling the Charmings about THAT particular adventure.

"Boy's looking pretty good," Neal commented proudly as he strolled up to Hook, a rolled map in his hand as his eyes watched his son.

"Aye. You had better watch out or he'll best you soon," Hook said, only half teasing.

"Oh, I don't doubt it. He got the Charming/White genes all the way there," Neal admitted with a laugh.

"There's no shame in having the lass train you as well. She's truly an artist."

"I know. But look at them - the light is finally coming back into their eyes, and they actually smile a little bit now and again. Mulan got them both to come out of their shells and they need this right now. Honestly, I think she needs them as much as they need her right now."

"Picked up on that did you?"

"Robin asked me to look after her," Neal shrugged. "Not that she really needs it, but they are all good for each other and I'm happy to let the kid share the company of two lovely ladies."

Hook laughed at that, both of them well aware that the boy's slight crush on the two women was completely harmless. "I noticed the lad has taken to the crew's shirt style as of late," he said with a smirk.

Neal snorted in amusement as well. With the warm weather, the crew typically went shirtless or with shirt that left their arms bare. After two full months of daily sword drills, long treks through various terrain when on land, and learning the ropes aboard ship, the teen was starting to fill out. Henry was also in the middle of a huge growth spurt, so while he was constantly embarrassed by the sudden cracks and octave changes in his voice, he was obviously more than happy to show off his developing muscles.

"His grandparents aren't gonna recognize him by the time we get back," Neal chuckled. "So how's things looking?"

"We made up time last night and the winds are still in our favor. Have you and Belle figured out where we need to be exactly and what we are searching for?"

Neal unrolled the map that Hook had provided thanks to his previous journey to this realm. He pointed to the city that the globe had indicated and Hook glanced at it and nodded. "Moy Tura…that would make sense."

"You've been there?"

"No, but I am familiar with the name. Moy Tura is also known in this land as the City of Sorcerers. It was once a great city where all the sorcerers from this realm lived. But they let their power go to their heads and all the clans of the Dark Horse Plains rose up against them and slaughtered every last man woman and child in the city and outlawed magic for generations. However, when I was here last, it seems that the laws were changing finally. I was in Pra Desh when there was quite the commotion happening.

"Seems a young clanswoman was born with the talent and risked her life in wielding it to save the rest of the clans from being slaughtered by a powerful chieftain who had been practicing the dark arts in secret until he was sure of his power. From the stories, it sounds like he could have given the Evil Queen a run for her money had he lived long enough. But the sorceress defeated the chieftain during a rather epic battle. Unfortunately his second in command had slipped off to Pra Desh with a powerful tome to hide and learn magic on his own. A small group that included the sorceress showed up to collect the bastard, but they walked into a political powder keg. When I arrived the city was in shambles and some power-hungry bitch was in danger of sinking one of the greatest cities in this realm. She had control of the idiot and had him summon some kind of demon to try and gain more power."

Neal winced. "And how'd that go for her?"

Hook grimaced. "Not well at all. I don't know the specifics as half the palace went up in flames and some of the more influential families staged a coup. I know she and the novice sorcerer died- horribly from the rumors. Apparently they found the rightful Heir locked in the dungeons though and everything was on its way to being restored when I decided it was time for me to take my leave. I had no wish to risk being caught up in any more dramatics."

"What of the sorceress?"

"Gabria was her name- handsome lass. Now that I think about it….she looked very much like Swan," he said with a note of sadness in his voice. "She and her party helped with the rebellion and saved many innocent lives when she used her magic to quell the fires in the palace before they spread further. It was truly an awesome sight. I assume they went home after that as the man they were after was dead."

"Huh….that's quite the tale."

"Indeed. But as I said, Moy Tura was once the hub of their magic practicing civilization so it makes sense there would be something in the remains. So you know what we are looking for?"

At this Neal sighed. "Well apparently we are looking for a needle in a haystack then. Like…literally this time. Thank god the first thing we acquired was that mirror that shows us what we are actually looking for or I seriously doubt we would have found most of the items we are looking for."

"Aye. And hopefully we won't have many more to go after this. So what is this needle we are looking for?"

"Like I said, it looks exactly like a needle. Only it glows pure white."

"Bloody hell," Hook groaned.

"Well maybe we could ask around once we get to port."

"Perhaps- though magic was still not widely accepted in the cities of Calah. It might be best to try those we meet along the way to Moy Tura. The clanspeople will probably know more as legend says that only those of clan blood can wield magic."

"How long will it take us to reach Moy Tura?"

"A week on horse. Perhaps less."

"Well that compass we picked up will get us within the immediate vicinity of whatever it is we are looking for. So hopefully we will be able to locate it within a few hours if not a couple of days. I was thinking that once we are done here we should head back home….see how things are going and give them a heads up. It will also give Belle some time to research that candle and the feather."

"I agree. I think the lad would appreciate seeing his grandparents and they him. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to resupply from there. Never know what unique items from Storybrooke will be well worth trading for in another realm."

"Like rum in this one?" Neal said in an amused tone.

"Well as you know every good pirate has a plentiful amount of rum on hand at all times. But yes, there was a trader here that paid me handsomely for my stock last time around. While I doubt he is still alive, I suspect that there will be another equally enthusiastic buyer here willing to trade for some strong horses, supplies and information."

"Sounds like a plan then. I'll go let the kid and the ladies know."

"You should take your sword with you." Neal started to protest but Killian fixed him with a look. "Neal, you do well enough with a sword, but this land lives by the sword and they are wary of strangers. Even I will be taking a turn with Mulan. She is a Master and I would be fool not to take advantage of her skills and style. I will also be strongly encouraging everyone on this ship to be keeping their weapon at hand at all times from here on out. We've been close enough to spot the sails of trade ships in the distance. We need to be on our guard now."

Neal hesitated and then nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Besides, they've been at it all morning so I guess I won't be intruding too much. I'll take a turn at the wheel later if you want so you can get some practice time in. I'm sure Henry and Belle will enjoy hearing all about your last visit here too."

Hook nodded and then waved Neal off to go practice. Once the other man was gone, the pirate looked over at the map that was being held down by the stone weights he'd placed on the corners. He wondered how much time had passed since he'd been here several years back. He was looking forward to seeing more of the land this time and he knew the change of scenery and new adventure would help keep everyone's minds busy and help ease the pain of broken hearts for a time.

Even his, he admitted as he took a sip from his flask and stared off into the distance.


End file.
